How do I cook tofu to make it firm?

Question

I am a vegetarian who is near vegan, but I still have the greatest difficulty cooking tofu! I have had it at restaurants and love it as long as it is firm and similar in texture to meat. I just attempted baking tofu and it turned out horribly!

Here's what I did: I placed the extra firm tofu on paper towels and set another plate and cans on top of it to drain for ~30 minutes. After that, I cut it into squares and marinated it in soy sauce for ~20 minutes. I placed the squares into a 400 degree oven to bake; however, after 45 minutes in the oven the outside was crispy but the inside was still very soft, similar in texture to cooked egg whites. I really dislike the texture when it is soft.

I'd love any pointers regarding cooking tofu to be really firm throughout the square, not just the outside. I've read a lot about how many people freeze the drained tofu to make it more chewy...would that help? Also, should I have drained the tofu again after I marinated it? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

you can sauteed it with olive oil

Answer 2

One way is to cut into thin slice 1-1.5cm instead of square.  How about when you marinate in soy sauce, mix the soy sauce with some flour before marinating. : )

Answer 3

You could get pre-baked tofu.

Also, try freezing it first. Drain it (not press), then toss it in the freezer for awhile. Thaw it in your refrigerator (probably in a strainer), then press it as you have been. You could certainly slice it thinly if you want to, before you press it.

In any case, you should slice it thin before you marinate it, drain it before you bake it. Another idea is to dip it in a cornstarch mixture. That helps it crisp up on the outside.

Tofu will always be softer on the inside. I'm not sure what went wrong in your recipe... maybe you should try pan-frying the tofu?

Answer 4

Make sure you drain it well.  You want to have as little moisture in it as possible.  We generally pan-fry it in olive or we grill it.